On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. Tanya Joosten, the director of eLearning Research and Development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) where she works to guide strategic eLearning efforts at the campus, state, and national levels, to develop innovative programming for the UWM campus, and to lead a team of researchers to advance the field of eLearning. She is also the co-director of the National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements supported by the U.S Department of Education. Dr. Joosten’s efforts have been highlighted in many national news and media outlets and have led to her involvement in planning for the future of education, including the State of Wisconsin Superintendent’s Digital Learning Advisory Council, NMC Horizon Project Higher Ed Advisory Board, EDUCAUSE Evolving Technologies Steering Committee, and EDUCAUSE IT Status committee. Tanya is also the author of Social Media for Educators, available from Jossey-Bass.

Segment 1: The National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA) [00:00-10:46]

In this first segment, Tanya talks about her work with The National Research Center for Distance Education and Technological Advancements (DETA), the DETA research toolkit, and some of DETA’s current projects.

Segment 3: The role of data in instructional technology platforms [22:01-30:01]

In segment three, Tanya discusses the changing nature of data in instructional technology platforms and how this data can (and should) be used for research purposes to improve student success in online learning.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

Listeners might also want to refer to RIA episode 14 with Chrysanthemum Mattison Hayes, which also discusses data uses for student success initiatives, or RIA episode 6 with Kirsten Behling, which focuses on research collaboration.

To share feedback about this podcast episode, ask questions that could be featured in a future episode, or to share research-related resources, post a comment below or contact the “Research in Action” podcast: